Blood is Thicker than Water
by midnightvisions
Summary: What if Zabuza had more appretices than Haku? What it one had a bloodline rarer than Haku's? What if her entire family was killed twelve years ago, right before Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto? What if... she wanted revenge? NOW COMPLETE! THANK U ALL!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: I Will Not Be Stopped**

_There she is. _The ANBU member thought as he spotted a girl of no more than 15 years walking down the path. She was very pretty, with unique short white hair and tanned skin. Wooden sandals crunched against gravel as the girl walked, her head bowed and eyes closed. A fan was held in her right hand over her mouth. It was a simple blue and white fan, and it matched her beautiful dark blue kimono and silver obi.

_Nobody has seen her for 12 years. She is the last of her clan, and believed to be one of th_e _strongest. We have orders to take her out, no matter the cost…but should we really do it at night? That is when she is strongest…especially since tonight is a full moon…no. we have to strike now, before we lose her again. _

The group had been tracking this particular girl for some time now, ever since her reappearance a few weeks ago. She was brilliant when it came to losing trackers, this group having lost her trail several times in the past weeks. He signaled the group to commence with the operation and 4 other top ANBU members sprang from the tree and surrounded her. The girl stopped and looked toward the shinobi, revealing bright green eyes that reflected the full moon. Upon recognizing them as ANBU, her eyes flashed with an unidentifiable emotion and she stated "You should not have come."

None of the ninja answered, but all of them simultaneously launched their attacks.

She simply stood there, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

In the blink of an eye, one member had fallen down, his body entirely stiff, as if he had frozen solid. Another soon was halted in midair, and began bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Before anybody could comprehend what was happening, the other two fell, never to rise again. Now it was just her and the ANBU she first addressed.

"I will not be stopped. Prepare to join your comrades." Her voice was colder than ice, and it froze the ANBU in his tracks. She held her fan and pointed it toward his throat. Her lips curved up into a smirk as she stated: "Tell my old teacher Zabuza I said 'hi'." The girl snapped her fan shut, and the man clutched his throat and fell to the ground.

She resumed her position and continued down the road, chuckling to herself, "Soon my revenge will be complete. He cannot hide for much longer..."

**Chapter 1: Meet Team 7!**

Naruto Uzumaki walked the streets of Konoha, unusually listless and unexcited. Team 7 had met at their usual spot, like they normally did. Sasuke and Sakura were there before the Kyuubi container, as usual. And Kakashi was not. As usual. Sakura had asked Sasuke out, he had denied, Naruto was there to accept, but then got punched in the head by Sakura, same old, same old. When Kakashi finally DID arrive, he got yelled at for being late, by Sakura and Naruto, of course, and quickly stated that there was no mission for the day, and the genin were free to enjoy their day as they pleased.

Of course, this annoyed the ninja to no end. Once again, they were stuck for hours waiting for their sensei, only to find yet again that there was nothing to do. Naruto was getting disturbed by how much his life seemed to keep repeating itself.

As the blonde approached the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, he decided to get some lunch. After all, he had skipped breakfast to try and be early. This failed, of course. He sat down in his usual spot, only to see that he was not alone.

A girl sat in the seat next to his. Her long black hair hid most of her face, but Naruto could make out that she seemed about the same age as him, possibly older. She was wearing a pretty dark blue kimono that had a sliver obi, and Naruto noticed a closed fan lying by her right hand. While he was staring, she finished her ramen and asked the old man for some more. She was eating Naruto's favorite, Miso Ramen. The voice that emanated from her mouth was smooth as water, soothing in a way that made the blonde want to fall asleep. Suddenly, she turned to face him, sending a questioning look. Naruto couldn't help but be entranced by her eyes. They were a bright green that sparkled in the noontime sun, full of curiosity as to why this random person was staring at her.

Naruto quickly looked away, but that didn't discourage the stranger, who offered her hand and said in that oh-so-nice voice "Hi. My name is Ayumi. Who are you?"

Naruto took her hand and shook it, blinking like an idiot, then smiled and said "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage!"

The girl smiled a small smile and played along, deciding to humor him for the time being. "Really now? How old are you?"

"I'm 12!"

She smirked. "Isn't that a little young to be Hokage?"

Naruto suddenly turned serious. "I'm not gonna become Hokage overnight. It'll take years of hard work. There is no easy way to become Hokage."

The girl made a small sound of agreement as her ramen was set in front of her. The owner of the stand turned to Naruto and asked "Well, Naruto, the usual, I suppose?"

Naruto blinked at the man and said "Yeah. The usual." His usually loud and obnoxious voice was withdrawn, and not all there.

He snapped out of the daze he was in and turned toward the girl. "So, I've never seen you around here before. What are you doing in Konoha?" She slurped some of the remaining noodles out of the bowl before answering. "I'm just passing through to go visit some friends of the family."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as Naruto received his ramen. He began to eat ravenously the second it touched the counter, remembering the reason he had come here in the first place. This action did not go unnoticed by the girl, who stopped her drinking of the noodle broth to stare at him. "Hungry much?"

Naruto put the empty bowl down and sighed. "Hehe. Yeah. I skipped breakfast so I could get to my team's meeting place earlier this morning."

"Did it work?"

"No, it didn't. But anyway, if you need anybody to you around town while you're here, I'll be glad to!"

She smiled that happy little conspirational smile and said "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Naruto." She left the money on the counter and got up to leave. Picking up her fan, she walked away.

_The Next Day…_

Naruto was at the bridge with Sasuke and Sakura waiting for Kakashi as usual. The routine had gone as it always had, and the genin were waiting for their sensei. Naruto was watching from a tree for the lazy Copy-Cat ninja, when he noticed a figure approaching the bridge. He jumped down from the tree and ran to greet the person, recognizing her as the girl from Ichiraku he met yesterday.

"Hey!" He waved her over frantically, and she looked up and saw him. She saw the blonde running over to her, and next thing she knew, he was dragging her over toward his teammates, who were a pink-haired girl and a stoic-looking boy. Both seemed to watch their teammate in confusion as he ran after this total stranger and dragged her to meet them.

"Hello, Naruto." She murmured when he finally stopped. "I had some time on my hands, and I figured I'd take you up on your offer for a tour of Konoha. I asked around, and people said that I could find you here."

Naruto smiled his trademark grin and answered "OK, but lemme introduce you to my team first! "This," and he pointed to the girl, "is the lovely Sakura Haruno." The girl waved to the newcomer, unsure of who she was and why Naruto seemed to know her.

Naruto then pointed to the boy, who was eyeing the girl suspiciously. "And that person over there is Sasuke. He's nothing special. Just ignore him." The boy called Sasuke just 'hn'ed and went back to glaring at the newcomer. Whoever she was, Sasuke didn't like her already.

"And there is our sensei, Kakashi, but he's late, as usual, and we have to wait for him."

The girl looked knowingly toward the one Naruto had introduced as Sasuke. "Surely you're not Sasuke Uchiha?"

He stared at her, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Yes, I am."

"Ah, that's what I thought. I've heard good things about you, Sasuke."

Sakura was a little upset about being ignored, and about this older woman talking to her Sasuke, so she interjected "Um, excuse me for asking, but who are you?"

The stranger looked toward Sakura as if just noticing her. "My name is Ayumi."

"Uh, Ayumi what?"

The girl was about to answer when a silver-haired man appeared behind Naruto, an orange book held in his left hand. "Yo." he said casually, flipping a page of his book. Upon his arrival, both Naruto and Sakura turned toward him and yelled "YOU'RE LATE!" He seemed unfazed, however, and just turned to them. "Well, I would have come sooner, but I—"

"NO! Kakashi, don't even start! You have no excuse for being so late!" the pink-haired girl screeched.

"Well, you're right. There is no excuse. But who is this?" He pointed to the girl, who had remained motionless throughout the shouting. Naruto blinked before answering "This is my new friend, Ayumi! I'm gonna show her around Konoha after today's mission! We do actually have a mission today, right?"

Kakashi examined the figure before him. Something seemed off. He then asked her, "Ayumi?"

"Yes?"

The silver-haired jonin noticed her voice was clear as glass.

"What is your last name?"

She gave him an empty look for a flash of a second. Only Kakashi noticed it, but it was gone almost instantaneously.

The girl waved her fan slightly and answered "My last name is Kinahaku." But Kakashi, once again, made note of the fact that her voice hardened slightly at the mention of her name.

Kakashi 'hn'ed at her answer, not fully believing it, and decided to follow her later. He then promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I guess we don't have any missions today. Want to hang out, Sasuke?"

The raven-haired boy was already gone.

Naruto stared at the place where his teacher had been standing seconds before, then blinked. "WHAT!? How could there be no missions for two days in a row!?"

The cool voice called out to him. "Naruto? There's no need to get upset. Because if I remember correctly, you did already have plans." As she pointed out this fact, the normally calm voice suffered from a hint of impatience.

The blonde smiled his big idiotic smile, which made Ayumi twitch slightly. Naruto missed this, however, and laughed. "You're right! Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I. DON'T OWN NARUTO! (Otherwise, episode three would have been much MUCH more interesting, and the dubbed voices wouldn't suck.)

**Chapter 2: Some Interesting Conversations**

_That Night…_

Ayumi went back to the inn that night, after a long and irritating day spent with Naruto. He and his obnoxious self had dragged the girl all over Konoha, telling about all the different people and all about the many times he had gotten into trouble with said people. It was practically murder to have to put up with him all day. But soon, Ayumi thought to herself, soon it would not simply feel like murder. She adjusted her wig as she thought about her plan.

_Soon, the Kyuubi will be no more. My clan will be avenged. I wonder if the blonde brat even knows anything about what the fox did before it was sealed. Probably not. I can't imagine the Hokage telling him anything about what is really within him. _

She turned toward the window, sensing a slightly familiar presence.

_Hm, it seems their sensei has followed me here. He doesn't trust me. _ She smirked to herself as she walked toward the open window. _Good. He shouldn't trust me. I am not one to be underestimated._

Ayumi faced out the window, looking up to see the tell-tale silver hair hiding in the top braches of the tree.

"Kakashi, are you really so desperate for a woman that you would spy on me?" she sang out in her prettiest voice, drawing the man from his hiding place.

"Can I help you O Mighty Copy-Cat Ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"

This startled him, she could tell. He hadn't been expecting her to know this. Why befriend Naruto? How did she know who he was? But most importantly, who was she?

As if reading the older man's mind, Ayumi smirked and calmly stated: "Kakashi, I come from the Village Hidden in the Mist. I am a ninja. I was not present at the time, but I know of the events concerning the bridge-builder, Zabuza, and Haku."

Kakashi played it cool, he couldn't afford to show any surprise around her. "So, where were you when the fight was being fought? And what are you really doing in Konoha?"

She thought for a minute, and then responded "I was fighting a different battle at the time. And about what I'm really here for? Well, that'll all come in time, I can assure you."

"I see." Kakashi had his best mask of indifference on, but it was threatened to be replaced with a look of extreme curiosity. "But as I recall, only Zabuza and Haku ever called Tazuna 'bridge-builder'. Care to explain that?"

"Not really. My family never liked Tazuna's family much; they only admired his talent of building."

The two ninja enjoyed a moment of silence, Ayumi standing at the window staring at Kakashi, and he staring at her. He seemed to be simply looking at her, but his mind was racing.

_Who is she? She is from a clan of the Village Hidden in the Mist, one that never got along with Tazuna's family, but kept a respectful appearance. I never heard of a clan such as that when we were in Wave Country. She is not one to underestimate; I need to keep an eye on her. _

Ayumi was the first one to break the silence. "Well, Kakashi, it's been nice talking to you," He could just hear the sarcasm oozing from her crystal clear voice, "But I need my beauty sleep. Good night, Copy-Cat." And with that, she shut the window and drew the curtains firmly closed.

_Ha._ Ayumi smirked to herself when she was sure nobody could see her. _He knows now. He won't tell them, though. Kakashi will want more evidence before he arouses worry. He might tell the Hokage, however, about some suspicions of a questionable ninja. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have given him all that information. Kakashi might be uninformed enough not to know, but if the Hokage finds out who I am…it'll be trouble. I have to complete my mission soon, and then get away before the trouble really starts._

_The Next Day…_

Sasuke was waiting for his teammates at the bridge, as he usually did. Today however, Sakura was late. This was unusual. Usually she would arrive shortly after Sasuke and bug him about going out. He rudely declined, of course, but the annoying girl just wouldn't ever stop. One day the raven-haired shinobi would just snap and kill all of those annoying girls that insisted on chasing him.

There was that one girl yesterday, though. Naruto had said her name was, what, Ayumi? She didn't seem to like him that much. Sasuke didn't like her either. There was something about her that he didn't trust.

He 'hn'ed to himself and whispered "Idiotic girls."

"If you're talking about the pink-haired one, I'd have to agree with you, Uchiha."

Sasuke turned around in surprise to see that stranger from yesterday standing a few feet behind him. He was shocked, needless to say. How had this nobody sneaked up on the great and fabulous Uchiha Sasuke?

"How did you sneak up on me like that?"

She just shrugged her shoulders and said "Well, it's really not that hard, you see. Because when you're zoned out like you just were, you're not all that alert."

He twitched at her insult, but only mentally. Who did this girl think she was? And more importantly, does she know how pissed Sasuke is right now?

Ayumi however, noticed how much she was annoying Sasuke and how he really wanted to kill her right now. She mentally smirked to herself, and decided to play with the fool a bit.

"Yes, Uchiha. You really aren't. I bet even Naruto could have snuck up on you, unobservant as you are."

She smirked in triumph as Sasuke glared at her with a very offended look on his face.

_Oh, that is IT! This girl is going down, right now, right here. _

While Sasuke was busy fuming to himself, Ayumi chuckled.

_They said he had an unbreakable mask of indifference. Fools, they know nothing about how to get under a person's skin. It's ironic that I can get under a person's skin both metaphorically and physically._

Sasuke Sharinganed his eyes and prepared to attack.

Ayumi stood there with a blank, maybe even amused, expression on her face, patiently waiting for him to make the first move.

He pulled out a couple of shuriken and threw them at her with blinding speed. But, even with Sasuke's aim they missed and lodged themselves in the tree behind her. He charged her next, but she jumped and landed perfectly on one of the branches above her.

"Sasuke," she sang in a teasing tone, "you missed me." And then she laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh. It stabbed Sasuke's ears like ice daggers, and sent shivers down his spine.

He tried to ignore the feeling and attacked again. She easily dodged this one, as well, and laughed again, if that empty noise could be called a laugh. "Is that all you've got, Uchiha? I swear the rest of your family had multiple times your strength. And you, the final heir? You are weak."

Sasuke jumped at her again, a raging fire fueling his attacks. He kept missing, however, and she was dodging him like it was nothing.

"Yours was one of the strongest clans of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and this is all it left behind? I am disappointed, Sasuke."

He was furious, that was obvious, but no longer because of her taunting.

"You… How dare you talk like that?!" Sasuke's voice rang with uncontrolled rage as his attacks became more and more erratic and useless. "You don't know anything! Not about me, or my brother, or my family! You are an outsider, you don't know what it's like to lose something precious to you!"

She stopped then, her blank expression gone, replaced with one of intense anger. He ran at her again, only to be stopped by a swift punch to the stomach. He froze for just a second from the pain, giving Ayumi an opportunity to deliver a strong punch to the face, which sent him flying a few feet away. She calmly walked toward him, and before he could get up, kicked him hard in the stomach and said in that icy-cold voice "Never assume anything of a stranger, Sasuke. You have no idea who I am or what I have suffered."

The younger boy gave her a confused look before succumbing to unconsciousness.

Ayumi began to walk away then, but a figure appeared before her.

The intruder was obviously female, wearing long black pants, and a black shirt with netting on the arms. An ANBU mask hid her face, but her blonde ponytail swayed in the morning breeze.

Ayumi seemed unfazed by this newcomer, and asked "Well, did you enjoy the show, old friend?"

Cliffhanger. Boy, Sasuke was egotistical in this chapter. So, who IS the old friend? Find out later! (Please review while you're at it? Please!?)


	3. Chapter 3

YA KNOW WHAT!? slams hands on table you're all making me sad with the lack of reviews. I know it's not the best, but somebody could say something! (besides Kaiseress, she rocks!)

**Chapter 3: A Secret Revealed**

The woman spoke, her voice laced with pleading and desperation. "Please, Ayumi, come back. If you don't, I have to fight you. And I don't want that."

"Well, too bad. He knows what I'm doing. I don't even see his problem with anything. I am fulfilling my purpose."

The intruder looked toward Sasuke, who had passed out. "Is that him?"

"No, that is one of his friends. Actually, that is Uchiha Sasuke." The ANBU gasped at this. "What? Tell me, seriously, Kinahaku, did you really think that even he could beat me? Just go, old friend. I don't want to have to kill you, but if you stand in my way, you give me no choice. And, Kinahaku, take off that fake mask, already." Ayumi held up her fan, pointing it at the girl's throat.

"Ayumi…please…" The girl backed away slowly. "I don't want to fight. Won't you reconsider? Even for me?" The woman removed her mask, revealing pale skin, dark brown eyes, and a petite mouth twisted into a grimace at the thought of her former friend killing her.

Ayumi was losing her patience, Kinahaku could tell. If something didn't happen to change the situation now, this could turn out bad.

"No, I'm sorry, but even for you, old friend; I cannot and will not stop. So leave now, or say your final goodbye."

Kinahaku held her arms out in defeat. "If you would kill your only friend in pursuit of empty revenge, then by all means, do so."

Ayumi raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You would not fight me? You would not move to stop me? That is unlike you, Kinahaku. What is going on? Is this an ambush?"

The ANBU smiled sadly and replied "No, old friend. I am alone. But if you would willingly kill me for pointless vengeance, I would not stop you." She put her hands down to her side and wrapped them around herself. "I could not fight you anyway, dear friend, even if I wanted to."

Ayumi put her fan down. "You are expecting, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question, and Kinahaku nodded. "You mean he finally came to his senses, and you are having a baby? That fool! How could he send you, alone, when you are with child?!"

Kinahaku quickly put up her hands. "No, please, listen. I didn't come on his orders. I came by myself. I had no intention to fight you, only to try and persuade you to come back. So please, Ayumi, please, come home. Nobody blames you for what happened, or for the choices you made." The pleading in her voice was intense.

"Enough." Ayumi said coldly.

"Huh?" She exclaimed in surprise.

"I said enough. I don't want to hear it. I don't care about them, or what they think of me. I only want to fulfill my mission, my purpose, Kinahaku, can't you understand that? But I promise it will be over soon, and then I will return. Will that satisfy you?"

Kinahaku frowned. "No, it will not. Why won't you come back now? It took so long for us to find you. We just don't want to lose you again."

Ayumi thought about this. When she was a young girl, her family discovered she had inherited the family's talent, and she had been branded. They didn't care for her, only for her strength. She had not been ever cared for, except by the girl standing in front of her.

_Flashback_

A girl of no more than 3, with white hair and deeply tanned skin, stood in front of a teenager with pale skin and medium-length blonde hair. The little child had blood on her face and hands, and it was obvious she had been crying. She was panting, indicating that she had been running for hours.

The teen smiled and said "It's okay, Ayumi. I know someone who will care for you."

The child's eyes widened at this prospect. Someone who actually felt for her? For the girl as a person, not just as a tool or weapon?

"Would you like to meet him?"

The girl nodded her head shyly, and took the hand of the older girl.

The teenager smiled and said "Good. I think you will like this man. His name is Zabuza. He, I, and many others will take care of you."

_End Flashback_

And ever since then, Kinahaku had cared for Ayumi whenever Zabuza had 'trained' her. The lessons were brutal, and she often had multiple cuts and bruises. But after every time, Kinahaku had been there for her, tending to her wounds and listening to when Ayumi needed to cry.

But that was in the past. Zabuza had died, Haku had died, and Ayumi was sure Kinahaku had been dead, too. Until one night…

_Flashback_

Ayumi, now an older girl of fifteen years, stood at her former master's grave, her face a show of pure listlessness. She heard footsteps behind her, and reacted immediately. A kunai lodged itself in a tree some feet behind her, and the footsteps stopped.

A familiar voice chuckled and said "Well, Ayumi, I see your training has paid off. I knew it would."

She flinched at the familiar voice, and turned around to see Kinahaku smiling at her. Ayumi gaped in open surprise, and quickly his it under a mask of suspicion. "Kinahaku?"

"Yes, Ayumi?"

"How can I trust that you are really her? My master and his most loyal comrade lie here in their graves, and I had assumed Kinahaku went with them."

The blonde shook her head and chuckled again. "So, it is proof you want that I am who I say I am? So be it." She raised her left sleeve up to her shoulder to reveal a small crescent shaped scar. "You gave me this scar after the first training session with Zabuza. I will never forget that night."

Ayumi ran to the girl and embraced her. "How can he be dead, Kinahaku? He was strong. Who killed him? And, is it just him and Haku that are gone?"

Kinahaku embraced the girl she considered a little sister, and sighed. "I could tell you, but you would not like to hear the story."

"Please tell me, old friend. He was never kind to me, but I feel I should do something… Who buried him, anyway? Was it you?"

"No, it was not me that buried him. It was the jonin that killed Haku and his students."

Ayumi stared curiously at Kinahaku and said "Please tell me everything that happened. I'm sorry I could not have been there, but—"

"No, Ayumi, I understand why you were not present at the time. But I will tell you, because it concerns…him." And so Kinahaku told Ayumi the tale of the last Uchiha, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon container, and the Copy-Cat Ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and how they defeated one of the greatest missing-nin of the Village Hidden in the Mist.

_End Flashback_

And now Ayumi knew, Haku had sacrificed himself to save his master, and it had taken more than a dozen assassins to kill Zabuza.

That was one more reason Ayumi had to destroy Kyuubi. He had helped to kill her master. Maybe not the fox itself, but Naruto had used its power to destroy Haku's ice mirrors, thus setting off a chain of events leading to their deaths.

"Well, Kinahaku. I won't stop. You know why, now go back to the village and wait out your pregnancy. I will return soon, after my mission is complete."

"Ayumi, please…"

"No. Old friend, I am determined to do this. Just once, let me choose my own path."

The ANBU member sighed and shook her head in defeat. "I understand. And since I cannot fight, I suppose I wish you luck, little sister."

She was then no more, and one could barely hear the gasp of surprise that issued from the teenager. Kinahaku had never called her that before…and she had promised to never call her that until she had…

_Wow…_Ayumi thought to herself. _Kinahaku must really believe in me if she…finally called me little sister…_

Ayumi continued her walk back to the village before remembering Sasuke. _Oh, yeah. I suppose I'll take him back to town. Kakashi might be suspicious, but he'll get over it once I form an alibi. Sakura…she's just a stupid girl. Maybe I should get earplugs for when she discovers her 'beloved' Sasuke has been quite badly injured. This should have an interesting effect on Naruto, as well. He obviously considers the Uchiha a close friend, not to mention a strong rival. I wonder which side will win out when he gets the news… It's the Kyuubi's influence, and Naruto's drive to become Hokage, that he dislikes the Uchiha so much, but Naruto himself, as a person, wants to be close friends with him. _

Ayumi stepped toward the unconscious body and picked it up. _I'll just drop it off by the hospital, and then get away before anybody discovers it. _She set off over the tree branches toward Konoha.

_In Konoha, At the Hospital_

Ayumi landed in a tree near the Konoha Hospital, the still unconscious Sasuke slung unceremoniously over her shoulder. She dropped in front of the door and lied him down. _There. Now to get out of here before anybody realizes I'm here._

_Later that morning, at the bridge…_

Sakura had been waiting for her teammates to arrive in the morning, and she was worried because Sasuke was late. _That's not like him…I wonder what's wrong…_

Naruto was walking toward the meeting place, just a little later than usual. He had hoped Ayumi would be there again today, but he had no luck, it was only Sakura. Then Naruto noticed something was off. What was missing? Oh, yeah. Sasuke wasn't there. That was weird. He was usually the first one. Oh, well. Nothing to do now but wait for their lazy sensei.

Speak of the devil, Kakashi poofed out of nowhere and landed on a tree a few feet away from the ninja. "Uh, I have some bad news." He started. Sakura quickly asked "It's about Sasuke, isn't it?" Naruto blinked. So what? Sasuke was late. No big deal. "Yes, Sakura. It is. Sasuke was discovered outside the hospital this morning, very badly injured. I have to stay with him, so there will be no mission today. He isn't taking any visitors as of now, but try after lunch and maybe they'll let you see him."

And Kakashi poofed out again, leaving a shocked Naruto and an…upset…Sakura.

Back in Konoha, a young green-eyed girl was finishing her ramen breakfast when an ear-shattering scream rang throughout the area. _Yep. Should have gotten the earplugs._

Sakura... don't like her. Fan? Deal with it. If there were too many flashbacks and you're confused, just tell me in a review. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Do I actually have to say this? It's in chapter two, blind mumbles violently

**Chapter 4: Enemies Made**

Sakura Haruno walked the streets of Konoha, her eyebrows pulled into a deep frown. _I'm worried about Sasuke…whoever did that to him must have been really strong to have beaten him so badly. I hope he gets better soon._

Sakura then got the magnificent idea to visit Sasuke in the hospital, when she spotted that strange girl from the other day inside a nearby shop. _Oh, I suppose I should tell her about what happened…but I don't really like her. She barely noticed me when Naruto introduced her to us. Whatever, I'll tell her._

Ayumi heard the bell ring, and turned around to see Sakura waving to her. _Oh, great. The pink-haired one is here to cry about Sasuke. I wonder what her reaction will be when she discovers it was me that damaged him so badly. She'll probably want to attack me for hurting her 'precious Sasuke' so much. Like she could._

"Uh, hey."

"Hello."

Sakura shuffled her feet nervously, and stuttered "Hey, did you hear about what happened to Sasuke? He was attacked this morning, and he's badly hurt in the hospital."

Ayumi turned to Sakura, an expression of utmost sorrow on her face, and said "Yes, I did hear. It's strange, isn't it, though? Sasuke is a strong ninja, from what I heard. The person that hurt him so badly must have been quite powerful."

Sakura nodded her head, agreeing. "Yeah…I'm kind of scared, actually. If there is a ninja powerful enough to injure Sasuke wandering around, what if he comes after me next?"

Ayumi scoffed at this statement. "Please, Sakura. Think about it. If the ninja attacked Sasuke, they were after Sasuke. I think it is safe to say you are in no danger whatsoever of being attacked."

The bubblegum-hair-colored kunoichi blinked for a minute, considering the stranger's argument.

_Trust me Sakura, I would not bother to spare the three seconds it would take to kill you. _

Sakura sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Ayumi smirked in triumph. "Whoever attacked Sasuke was probably aiming for him, anyway, and now that their mission in done, they'll leave!"

Ayumi's smirk fell right off her face. "No, Sakura." The girl gave Ayumi a confusing look. "If the ninja was sent to attack Sasuke, they were probably sent to kill. This means, they'll be back. But I could be wrong. Sasuke could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and gotten beaten for it. You never know."

Ayumi turned to leave the store, and Sakura followed. Ayumi pulled out her fan and proceeded to hold it over her mouth.

"Sakura, if Sasuke is in the hospital, isn't this a good time to go train?" _Anything to get rid of this whiny, worthless, maybe I should kill-_

She sighed and shook her head no. "I would, and I tried, but I can't get Sasuke out of my head. I'm just worried about him."

"You have a crush on him."

Sakura blushed. "Yeah, I do. But I'm not the only one. Almost every girl in town does."

Ayumi turned to the younger girl with a curious look. "You say 'almost' every girl. Who are the ones that don't?"

Sakura just shrugged. "Well, there's Hinata Hyuga. She has a crush on Naruto, which I don't get. And I don't think Tenten likes him either. Other than that, I think just about every girl has a crush on him."

"I see." Ayumi sensed four people walking toward them, and looked up to see four people walking down the street.

The only girl was on the far right of the group, and she kept glancing nervously to the boy on her left. She had pale skin, and her eyes had a pale center. The boy on her left kept glancing at her, and she would look away whenever he did. He looked much like her, same eyes, and they could almost pass for brother and sister, but there was just enough difference. Maybe it was their confidence. The girl shuffled her feet, and kept her head down, but he walked with pride, a certain aura of confidence in the area surrounding him. To his left was another boy, this one wearing black sunglasses, and a high-collared coat that hid most of his face. An ordinary person would not be able to tell, but he kept shooting looks at the pale-eyed boy whenever he looked toward the girl. Finally, on the far left, was another boy, and this one had strange red marks on his face. He was wearing a grey coat, and a small white dog popped out of the hood and settled on his head.

Sakura seemed to recognize these people, as she waved them over and dragged Ayumi toward them.

"Hello, Hinata, Neji, Shino, Kiba. This is Ayumi."

The girl waved toward the older woman, but quickly withdrew again as the boy glared at her. "My name is Neji Hyuga. This is my cousin, Hinata."

The boy with the dark glasses stepped forward and offered a bug-covered hand. "My name is Aburame Shino. And this is my teammate—"

"Hiya! I'm Kiba!" The dog-boy shouted, and also offered his hand.

Ayumi shook both of their hands with her left one and Kiba's dog barked menacingly at her. "What's the matter, Akamaru?" The dog then proceeded to growl again before whimpering and crawling back into his master's hood. "Uh, I'm sorry about Akamaru, usually he likes strangers."

Ayumi just fanned herself. "It's no problem."

Sakura interrupted. "Hey, Neji? Why are you hanging out with Team 8?"

The pale-eyed boy glared at her before responding. "I am not hanging out. We are on our way to train, and I was asked to escort Hinata." At this last comment, he glared at his cousin, a look of utmost contempt on his face.

Sakura blinked. "Oh, I see."

Ayumi watched this conversation with interest. _So, this is the Hinata Hyuga that has a crush on Naruto. I sympathize for her. She has no confidence, and her cousin, who should be supportive of her, hates her. But she is the heiress to the Hyuga name; she must learn to be strong, for her village and clan. That boy, Neji, must be in the branch family, to hate her so much. But he is her guardian, from his birth he was expected to take care of Hinata. I can see how he resents her so. Maybe if she was stronger, more confident, he would be kinder. But anyway, it is sad. Sad that I will kill the one she likes._

The Aburame boy interrupted her thoughts. "Excuse me, Ayumi, was it? What is your last name?" Shino could have cared less about the girl's name; but the conversation with Neji was taking a dangerous turn. Nobody on Team 8 wanted Neji along for their training, but the boy had said that his uncle had ordered him to watch over Hinata. And none of them were stupid enough to challenge the older boy.

Ayumi was about to answer his question when Sakura cut in, again. "Her last name is Kinahaku, right Ayumi?"

Ayumi fanned herself a bit and said "Yes, it is." _But it's not, poor Sakura. Delusional kunoichi, you have no clue what my last name really is, and even if you did, it would mean nothing. In fact, I would have given my real name had Hatake not been present at the time. Damn Copy-Cat ninja. He's probably already told the Hokage about me._

There was a few seconds of awkward silence between the ninja, before Kiba suddenly spoke. "Hey, Sakura? Are the rumors about Sasuke true? Is he really injured and in the hospital?" All eyes were on Sakura, and she sighed. "Yeah, Kiba. I'm afraid they're true. Somebody attacked Sasuke this morning, and he was found outside the hospital a few hours ago. I was on my way to visit him when I ran into Ayumi here."

_Before you ran into me? You followed me into that store! And you haven't ever said anything about visiting the Uchiha all the time you were with me!_

Neji frowned as Sakura finished her story. "Isn't it strange, though? Who would attack the Uchiha and then take him to the hospital?"

Ayumi mentally rolled her eyes. _Finally, somebody sees it! I was getting frustrated that nobody would notice what I had done. This village is full of sentimental idiots. Including that damn blonde. Also this pink...leech. How I despise them all._

Shino looked at Neji. "Yes, it is strange. And how did this person go undetected throughout the entire village?"

Sakura butted in yet again, this time firmly disagreeing with the two. "Guys, it doesn't matter who did it or how. What matters is that Sasuke is in the hospital, and recovering. Now, you all have to go practice, Ayumi and I are off to visit Sasuke."

And with that, Sakura walked off, dragging Ayumi's right elbow along. Ayumi stood her ground, though, and Sakura stopped. "You go ahead, Sakura. I'm going to run some errands first. I'll see if I can come later." In reality, Ayumi had no intentions of going to the hospital later; she just didn't want to be around the kunoichi any longer. She began to walk the other way, and Sakura just shrugged and continued. If that girl didn't want to go see if Sasuke was okay, then that was fine. Sakura would just have him all to herself. Something about her creeped Sakura out, anyway.

Team 8 and Neji just stared at the girl's retreating back. Something was off about her. She wasn't energetically squealing with Sakura and the other girls about her 'poor injured beloved Sasuke'. Not that it was bad, but it was strange. The only other people that didn't go crazy over the Uchiha were Tenten and Hinata. Well, Hinata had a crush on Naruto, and Tenten was actually a serious kunoichi. But what about this girl? She didn't have a headband, and she didn't act like a lovesick fool. She scared Hinata, the girl had never smiled or anything. Neji discarded her as just a strange person. Shino was suspicious. Who was Ayumi Kinahaku? Was that even her real name? Kiba was concerned that Akamaru had been scared of her. Akamaru had only ever been scared of Gaara. And if this girl was as strong as him, then it very well could have been her that attacked Sasuke.

Ayumi, however, just kept walking, leaving many questions unanswered. She was going to visit the Hokage.

Bleh. I don't like this chapter. At all. It just sounds all weird and whatever. . But, cameos by Team 8 and Neji! Whoo? Next chapter, as it says right there, will have Hokage! Yay? But no. I don't think I write Tsunade well. --;;; Double post, be happy and review, damn it!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: ...I don't own Naruto. But I might own a headband I entered an online contest for soon:D Read the stinking chapter, and REVIEW!

**Chapter 5: Reflections**

Ayumi smirked to herself as she walked away from the group. She knew she had raised some suspicion when they met. Giving a fake name was all right, nobody but the Hokage and possibly that damn copy-cat would know who she really was. But that boy, the one with the dog. He said his name was Kiba. Ayumi disregarded him as obnoxious. However, the dog itself might have caused trouble. It was a somewhat smart animal, it could sense her power.

_They must be the newest Inuzukas. Kiba reminds me of Naruto, the way they're both so energetic and friendly. I should wash my hands soon, his seemed dirty. Also, the bug boy. Seems to be a good Aburame. Looks astonishingly like his father. Wonder if he suspects anything...oh, well. I don't care. Soon I'll be out of here for good._

(With Sakura)

The bubblegum-haired girl sighed as she walked down the street. Finally she was away from that creepy older girl, Ayumi. Frankly, the girl scared her. She never smiled, never seemed happy. What was her problem, anyway? Ayumi was so distant, so uncaring. She acted all sad when Sakura asked her about Sasuke, but Sakura could see she was faking it. This girl really didn't care about Sasuke, or any of them probably.

_But then why bother hanging around us? Why act like you care, when it's obvious you don't? You befriended Naruto...but why? What are you really here for?_

Sakura shook her head to dispel the thoughts as she continued to the hospital.

(With Sasuke, Hospital)

Sasuke stared at clenched fists, lips drawn into a thin line. How could that girl beat him? How could he let her get under his skin so easily? It infuriated him to no end. He was supposed to be one of the strongest genin in the Leaf Village! And all of a sudden, this stranger comes out of nowhere and kicks Sasuke's butt!?

_...It's just another reminder..._ The dark-haired boy thought to himself. _Just another obstacle to get over. Something that I can beat to make me stronger. I don't care what it takes. _He looked out the window as a white bird flew by. _I'll beat him. _

(With Sakura again, Hospital)

The pink-haired girl stepped up to the counter, distracted.

The woman at the counter smiled. "Hello, Sakura. Here to see Sasuke?" The young girl sighed, and nodded. "Ok, right this way." The woman stood up and walked down the hallway, and Sakura followed, still thinking. "Just so you know, Sakura," the nurse looked over her shoulder at the girl, "he isn't talking to anybody. Sasuke is at the stage of recovery where he prefers to be alone."

Sakura sighed and nodded again. She could have guessed that much. "But, Sakura, about his injury...it's, well, strange." The kunoichi blinked. "What do you mean 'strange'?" The nurse halted. "...Something was wrong with his blood. Usually adrenaline makes the blood pump faster. And when you go unconscious, some aftereffect should remain. But when we discovered him, the flow of his blood had nearly stopped. It's not natural. His body was cold, too. Far below the temperature we expected for him to have after a fight. Tsunade herself had to come and take care of him, and even she had never seen such a thing happen before." She saw the scared look on the girls' face. "But, it's all right now. The Hokage was able to heal him, and he's awake. Only a few things are stopping him from jumping out of here."

"And what are those? What is still wrong?"

"Well, foremost, some of his joints seem to be frozen. He can't speak, or move his arms and legs well. The rest of him is functioning properly, though. Including the ability to glare at anybody that gets within three feet of him." The nurse chuckled as she remembered the trainee that had tried to feed him.

"But other than that, Sakura, he's fine. He'll be out of the hospital by tonight, if he recovers fast enough. And Sakura?" The pink-haired girl looked up at the nurse, whom had not resumed walking. "What is it?" "He's thinking. About...things I believe he doesn't need to be thinking about." "What things?" "Just, things. Try and take his mind off it for a little bit, okay?" "Okay..." Sakura trailed off. She wasn't sure what this woman was talking about, but agreed anyway.

The pair walked further down the hall in silence. _Poor Sasuke... why are you so stubborn? Why can't you just be more open, and tell people how you feel? It's not going to hurt you, nobody would laugh. We just want to understand you and help..._

"Well, here's his room." Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the door. _Sasuke was in this room last time, too..._ "Sakura?" "Yeah, I'm fine." She opened the door and walked in. She sighed and looked up to see the Uchiha staring blankly at her. _Why am I even here? He can't talk, or even move. Sasuke just wants to be alone, maybe I should go, now that I know he's alright..._

Sakura sat down anyway, and sighed again. "Uh, are you feeling alright, Sasuke? One nod for yes, two for no..." The Uchiha nodded twice, and Sakura frowned. "Do you need me to call the nurse?" Again, two nods. "Well, what should I do?" The boy stared contemplatively at the wall behind Sakura. Then he sat up straighter. He Sharinganed his eyes, and closed one. "Uh, the Sharingan? One eye...you want me to go get Kakashi?" He nodded once.

"Ok, I'll be right back." The kunoichi stood up and walked out of the room. Their teacher could be difficult to find, when he wanted to be. Sakura decided she'd go see the Hokage about it.

(With Hokage, Office)

_Why can't I remember who she is?_ the Hokage thought to herself. The name was so familiar, but...

The Hokage was pulled out of her thoughts as she sensed someone approaching. A knock sounded on her door, and the older woman called out for them to enter. Sakura stepped nervously into the room, and the blonde woman frowned. Would this team never stop bothering her today? "Uh, Hokage, have you seen Kakashi? I was just visiting Sasuke, and he asked me to get him."

The Kage sighed. "I just sent him out, Sakura. What did Sasuke want to see him for, anyway?" "I don't know. But I think it was important." The comment hung in the air as Sakura waited to be dismissed. But the Hokage ignored her, secretly hoping the kunoichi was going to leave on her own.

Silence commanded the atmosphere for a while longer. Finally, the Hokage put down her pen. "Fine. I'll go see what he wants. Come with me." The two ninja walked quickly out of the tower and toward the hospital.

The two walked along in silence, until when they were about halfway there. Tsunade stopped, and Sakura turned around to see what she had stopped for. The older woman was staring to the left, and Sakura looked over to see Kakashi in the bookstore...buying more Icha Icha Paradise books, of course. _Figures that damn pervert would be here._

Tsunade, however, strode right up to the man. He turned one happily arched eye to the woman. "Oh, hello Hokage, ma'am." "Cut the crap, Kakashi. Why aren't you following her?" "Oh, I just came in here—" "No, I don't want to know why you're here. Sakura says that Sasuke told her to come find you because that Uchiha wants to talk to you."

"I thought Sasuke couldn't talk?" "Whatever. Just go with her. I've got work." The Hokage disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Kakashi standing in the store, and Sakura standing in the middle of the street, confused.

The Copy-Cat strode lazily out of the store, and the kunoichi glared at him. "Hurry up! I think what Sasuke has to say is important!" "Now, why would you say that?" "Just hurry up, already." The two ninja hurried over to the hospital, and they burst into Sasuke's room.

Well, Sakura did, anyway. Kakashi just walked in after her, almost bored. "Well, Sasuke, it seems you've told Sakura that you need to talk to me?" The Uchiha nodded. "So, what is it?" Sasuke looked down at his hands, which were still clenched tightly. "So, this is about your injuries?" He nodded again. "Is it about who attacked you?" Another nod. "Hm. Was it an enemy ninja?" Nod negative. "No? Someone from this village?" Nod negative. "Not from this village, not an enemy. Hm. Someone we know?"

Nod positive.

"That's interesting. You wouldn't happen to be talking about our visitor, Ayumi?" The boy's head shot up. "I'll take that as a yes." Sakura gasped. "What? Ayumi attacked Sasuke? But I saw her today!" "Yes, and did she seem regretful when she heard about what happened?" The kunoichi didn't even have to think. "No, as a matter of fact. She seemed unopinionated about it."

"I see. So, we have to find her." Sasuke grunted at this. Kakashi glanced at his student for a second.

Then he punched Sasuke right in the jaw.

Sakura nearly screamed, but Kakashi remained silent as the Uchiha gently moved his jaw. He popped something back in place as he turned to his sensei. "Thanks. I was waiting for you to do that." "No problem." "I still can't move my body, though."

"Tell me what happened." "I was waiting for everybody at the bridge when she showed up. She snuck up on me, and was taunting me about...my family. She called me weak, and it just, I don't know, it provoked me. I attacked, but she dodged me like I was nothing. Then, I said that she didn't know anything about me...or my family. She knocked me unconscious in three blows. I woke up here, and was told a nurse had found me outside. They said Tsunade came and healed me. But they didn't tell me what it was she healed."

"Hm. Sakura, did the nurse tell you what kind of injuries these were?" The kunoichi turned to her teacher. "Uh, I think she said something about Sasuke's blood slowing down, certain joints being immobile, and his entire body temperature being lower than it should." "That's not good. Do you think you can get up and move, Sasuke?"

The older man received a glare. "Do you think I can move? She just said I can't, so I can't. And I don't think that hitting me again will work. Also, every so often, these spasms occur." "What kind of spasms?" "I don't know. But they hurt. And I went unconscious last time, while Sakura was gone." "So, I guess I'll just have to carry you."

"But Kakashi, why? Sasuke should stay in the hospital to recover!" "Sakura, I'm going. Stop worrying so much." The girl decided to keep her mouth shut, for once. She'd argued with the boy enough times to know that it was pointless once he had made up his mind. "Ok, then. Let's get going." The group jumped out the window to avoid questions from the hospital staff as they moved across the rooftops, looking for Ayumi.

One hour later, the trio had searched the entire village, with no sign of the girl. Kakashi turned his masked face to one side. The other two looked to where he was looking, and saw Tsunade heading toward them. "Yes, Hokage?" Kakashi said. "You lazy bum! That girl is dangerous!" "Yes, it was Ayumi that attacked Sasuke. He still isn't mobile, as you can see."

"Oh, shut up, and follow me, all of you." The sannin took off out of the village and into the forest. The two ninja followed, Kakashi still carrying one Uchiha on his back. The Hokage was frantically scanning the passing landscape as they traveled. "Are we looking for Naruto?" "Of course we are!" "He and another person are about 500 feet ahead. Hokage, I think the other is Ayumi. But, there's also two more ninja that are attacking them." "Shit. We have to hurry." "Hokage, ma'am, who is she?" "There's no time to explain, just that she's dangerous." Sasuke let out a cry of pain, and Kakashi felt his whole body tense. His joints were shaking, and the Uchiha let out a snarl as he fell limp, nearly unconscious.

"Well, so much for those two...The foreign ninja are dead. And Naruto is running this way. We should catch up any minute." The Hokage sped ahead and pulled out a kunai.

"And besides, we have company." The girl seemed unfazed as the group dropped out of the tree.

This chapter is weird. I wrote it after the next chapter was already done, just to tie up some loose ends. Next chapter goes back in time to after chapter four with Ayumi.

FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE SAKURA!!!!!!: I don't. Deal with it. There's a very high chance of her getting killed in about three chapters, so if you don't want me to, TELL ME DAMNIT!!! That is all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Jig is Up**

Tsunade sat in her office, shuffling through paperwork and occasionally taking a drink of sake. She sensed the presence at the door before the knock sounded, and she called out "Come in Kakashi."

The silver-haired jounin entered the room; his only visible eye turned up in what she assumed was a smile. "Need something, Kakashi? Sasuke is in the hospital, so your team has no missions today." He sat in a chair by her desk and sighed. "No, Hokage. If you're not too busy, there is someone I want to discuss." She looked at him, curious. "Is it Naruto?"

He shook his head no, and replied "No, it's not him. There is a visitor in town, she claims to be just passing through, and she also claims to be a ninja of The Village Hidden in the Mist."

"Kakashi, what is the problem?" "The problem, I'm not sure how to state. She seems fine, but she gives me a strange feeling. And she must know who Naruto is, but she neither is afraid nor shuns him."

"I see no problem, Kakashi. Is it really so strange that somebody accepts Naruto as his own person, and not just a demon?"

"Well, no, but—"

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Tsunade turned toward Kakashi, a thoughtful look on her face. Nobody had ever managed to knock before Tsunade sensed their presence. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal Ayumi, fan in hand, green eyes sparkling in the bright room and brimming with an unidentifiable emotion. The spark was gone as soon as it had arrived, though, as the girl stepped forward. "Is this a bad time, Kakashi?"

The ninja stood. "Ayumi, this is our Hokage, Tsunade-sama." The older woman stood up, recognizing the name Ayumi. "Your name is Ayumi?" The teen inclined her head slightly toward Tsunade, acknowledging her question. "Yes. It is."

Tsunade sat down again. "And do you have a last name?" "Yes. My last name is Kinahaku."

Kinahaku…that name was familiar as well, but Tsunade couldn't remember who these people were. "Kakashi is currently speaking with me, so if you would please wait outside?" Ayumi nodded again. "Of course." And with that, she shut the door.

"That is the one I told you about earlier, Tsunade. Something about her is off, no?"

The medic-ninja 'hn'ed. "I vaguely recognize the name Ayumi, but I can't remember where I've heard it before. Keep an eye on her, Kakashi."

"Right away, Hokage." Kakashi poofed away then, leaving a disgruntled Tsunade behind.

_Why in the world can't I remember who she is?_

Ayumi had no intention of waiting for Kakashi, but immediately after exiting the tower, set off in search of Naruto. It was almost an hour before she spotted him at Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. _Of course the boy would be here. Where else would Naruto be?_

She sat next to him, and ordered her ramen. It was a few minutes before it registered to the blonde that someone was with him. He blinked owlishly at her, before exclaiming, with a mouth full of noodles, "Hey, Ayumi! Heard anything new about Sasuke?"

She eyed him disdainfully before answering "No, I haven't. But Naruto, I assume you know a boy named Neji?"

At the mention of the Hyuga, Naruto gave his full attention to the girl. "Yeah, I know Neji. I beat Neji in the Chunnin Exam!"

"Well, it seems he wants a rematch." Ayumi quickly made up a lie.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Really? Neji wants a rematch? Cool! I'll beat him again!"

Ayumi mentally chalked another point for her, and smirked behind her fan. "I can show you where Neji wants the rematch. Sakura and I talked to him earlier today. Come on, I'll show you." She got up to leave, and Naruto looked down regretfully at the remainder of his ramen before getting up and following her.

She walked in silence out of the village, Naruto babbling the entire time. She ignored him though, instead concentrating on her own thoughts. _Sasuke is in the hospital, Sakura is visiting him, Kakashi is occupied with the Hokage, and I have Naruto all to myself. Soon I will unleash the Kyuubi and destroy it. Then my clan will be avenged and I will have completed my purpose._

Ayumi stopped in a clearing by the river, and the blonde bumped into her from behind. "Hey, where's Neji?" "Oh, don't worry Naruto, you'll get your match soon enough."

"Does that mean Neji's on his way?"

"Somebody's coming." Ayumi sensed the presence of a follower, and quickly pinpointed their location. _It's another ANBU from my village. And it's not Kinahaku. This one is male, and there are two of them. This should be interesting…let's see how the Kyuubi container feels about me after this._

A shuriken came whizzing out of the tree to Ayumi's left, and she quickly deflected it with one of her own that she pulled out of her sleeve. Naruto was shocked. "You're a ninja!?" Before she could answer him, a figure appeared in the river and began to make hand signs. She didn't even blink, but threw the shuriken at the body, which exploded into water at first contact, leaving the weapon to fall in the river. _They're using only clone jutsus and shuriken. The idiots don't want to hurt Naruto by outright attacking me. That works in my favor, because as long as they hold back, I can kill them that much faster._

Another figure dropped from the tree and charged Ayumi. He was wearing and all-black body suit, and an ANBU mask hid his face. Ayumi simply stood there, and counted to three. Suddenly, he stopped in mid-air, as if he were frozen from the inside out. His body slumped to the ground, and his partner took advantage of the distraction to perform a jutsu. It never succeeded, though. Ayumi turned to face him, and sent a bone-chilling glare.

She held eye contact while focusing chakra to her hands. Ayumi then dropped her fan and performed a few hand movements, after which, the man fell to the ground. Ayumi smirked evilly and turned to face Naruto. "Now, where were we?"

Her voice was no longer calm and cool, but ice cold. It ripped at Naruto more fiercely than a hundred senbon needles.

He backed away slowly. Who was this girl? How had she beaten those ninja? Was she going to kill him next? All these questions and a million more raced through Naruto's head in the next instant, but she just stood there and smiled that evil smile at him. It appeared she was enjoying his mental torture. He backed away again, and this time, she stepped forward, matching his movements step for step.

"Come now, Naruto. I thought you wanted a fight." He had wanted to fight…but after seeing her kill those two men, Naruto wasn't so sure. Her voice taunted him, sickly sweet and terribly bitter.

"Naruto…come."

That single command froze Naruto in his tracks. It was a challenge, she was trying to convince him to either fight or flee. Naruto had no choice, he was doomed. If he stayed, she would kill him for sure. But if he ran, she would catch him in a matter of seconds, and then kill him.

Ayumi took one more step forward, and Naruto took one back. She bent down to pick up her fan, and he shot off at the opportunity. _Fool._ Ayumi thought as she stood up. _If you won't come, I will hunt you._

Ayumi set off after him, easily locating him in his panic. She grabbed a kunai and threw it at him as he jumped another tree. He landed in a small clearing, weapon through his pant leg, pinning him to the ground with no chance of escape.

She dropped from the tree, and smirked evilly again as he futilely struggled to pull out the weapon and escape. Calmly walking toward him, she stated "Don't worry, Naruto. It's not you I need to kill. But I do need you." He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" She scoffed. "Idiot. I would explain, but your tiny mind could not possibly comprehend. And besides," She looked up in the forest as a kunai knife lodged itself in the tree behind her, "We have company."

Some of her hair fell to the ground where the knife cut it as she looked to the highest tree in the area, and three figures dropped down. The first Naruto immediately recognized as Kakashi, who was carrying a half-conscious Sasuke on his back. Second was Sakura, whose eyes filled with shock and horror at the situation she stumbled upon. Finally, Tsunade appeared, a grim expression on her face. Ayumi nodded toward the kunai. "Tsunade, I could have sworn she told me you had better aim." Naruto was bewildered. What was going on?

Tsunade shook her head. "I wasn't aiming for you. Take off your wig and show us who you really are."

Ayumi chuckled as she shed her fake hair. The long black strands fell off her head to reveal extremely short white locks in their place. Sakura stared in confusion, while Kakashi gasped. "Tsunade, she isn't the—"

"Yes, Kakashi. She is." Sakura stared at the adults, utterly confused. "Who is she, Kakashi-sensei?" The jounin stared at the girl and answered "Her name is Ayumi, all right. But her last name isn't Kinahaku."

"That's right." Tsunade confirmed. "She is Ayumi Edochi, the last surviving member of the famed Edochi clan of The Village Hidden in the Mist." Sakura kept glancing between the two. "Ok, but who is she?" Ayumi laughed a cold, humorless laugh at the kunoichi's ignorance. "Sakura, for one who claims to be so smart, you're about as much of an idiot as Naruto." Both genin growled at this, but she ignored them and continued. "I am Ayumi Edochi. I am the last of my clan, no thanks to you."

She pointed a finger at Naruto, and he asked, "Hey! What did I ever do to you?"

"It's not what _you_ did to _me_, Naruto; it's what Kyuubi did to my entire family. It slaughtered them, when I was only three years old. And now," she grinned demonically. "Now I will have my revenge."

Like I said, I can't write Tsunade. apologizes v.v

And this update is late. bows T.T

Okay, then, peeps, next chapter is a crappy little fight intermission type thing, and then I'm probably killing Sakura. You know, I hear a lot about her fans (amazingly enough), but when it's time to step up, they're nowhere to be found! WTF!?

If anybody new reviews, I will love joo! Kaiseress is the only one so far, so she gets a virtual hug and cookies: P


	7. Chapter 7

**READ THIS!!! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!!!**

**WARNING: **Lots of blood in this chapter, too much dialogue, as well as bad fight scenes and too many inserted notes of my own twisted mind. (Ignore all the parenthesis if you're trying to avoid them) I don't own Naruto, or anybody except Ayumi. Enjoy and review.

**Chapter 7: The Whole Truth, Right?**

Ayumi stared down at Naruto, grinning like a maniac. "That's right. When I was three, the Nine-Tailed Fox massacred my family when they defended the village from its' attack. I was taken in and trained, and now I want to avenge my clan." The blonde just stared in shock. "But, but I didn't do anything! It's not my fault what Kyuubi did before it was sealed in me!"

She was no longer grinning, but glaring at him like he was less than dirt. "Do you think I care? I know that. And now the only way to avenge them is to kill the demon, and the only way to kill the demon is to kill you." Naruto stood up, bright green eyes narrowing in suspicion, watching his every move.

"NO!" "What did you say!?" "I said NO!" Naruto was glaring right back at Ayumi now. "I'm sick of it! I'm sick and tired of everybody ignoring me, of treating me badly because of the damn fox demon! So what if it killed your clan? It's gone now, locked up inside me. I'm miserable enough as it is, I don't need you here to make life harder!"

As Naruto finished his screaming, a tense silence filled the clearing as his words rang out. Sakura was wide-eyed. She had no idea...nobody had ever told her about Naruto. She had never thought to question why he was an orphan, or why all the villagers shunned him. Kakashi and Tsunade held their breath, waiting for something to happen. Sasuke was only half-conscious, and he barely heard anything the blonde said. Just something about a demon...and a massacred clan... (Sasuke's going on a mental rant here about Itachi, 'cuz he's emo like that)

Tsunade stepped forward slowly. Green eyes darted to watch the older woman. "Ayumi Edochi...they said you were dead. Everybody believed you were killed by the demon fox, too. But that was over twelve years ago. Where were you all these years? What were you doing?" The girl remained silent, still glaring sheer hatred.

"Might as well tell you. I don't plan on letting you all go after this, anyway. After I was branded when I was two, my family stopped treating me like a child. They saw me as a thing: not a person, but a tool."

_A tool..._ team 7 thought, remembering the last person who referred to shinobi as 'tools'. (...I give ya three guesses on who)

"A year of this I suffered. They trained me harshly, always pushing my limits..." "But when you were a year older..." Tsunade started. Maybe she could lull the girl into a false sense of security before she killed them all. (yeah, that would be nice) "Ha. When I was three, my family was massacred. The demon fox attacked the Village Hidden in the Mist; my entire family went to fight it. I was the only one in the family under 20 years old, so I was left behind. The next day, I awoke to an empty house. I found out that they were all dead. Later, I went to the battlefield."

She paused here, green eyes clouded over with memories. "I went to the battlefield, and the blood was fresh. It had been less than seven hours since the demon had killed them all."

An uncomfortable silence settled in the area, but went unnoticed by Ayumi. "And after that, I ran. Ran away, for I don't know how long. That...that was when Kinahaku found me."

"Kinahaku? Didn't you say that was your last name?" Sakura asked. "Yes, I did. I lied. I would have told you my real name, but Kakashi came along. Anyway, Kinahaku came when I was at my weakest. I was ready to kill myself, but she stopped me. Kinahaku told me that she could take me to a person, one that would value me as a person, a human being, and not just as a tool or weapon. I foolishly believed her. She lied to me, just that once, but otherwise, she was kind to me."

"Wh-who was the person? The one that Kinahaku brought you to?" Naruto asked, completely captured by the story. "His name...was Zabuza."

Silence.

Silence.

More Silence.

Stunned Silence.

"Za-Zab-Zabuza!? You were taken in by Zabuza!? The creepy sword guy!? With Haku, and we beat him on the bridge, with Tazuna, a-and—" "Yes, Naruto. I was taken in by Zabuza. He trained me for nearly twelve years. I thought I was ready to fight you, so I went on an information gathering mission to see where you stood. I learned you and your team were out of the village on a mission. Zabuza was hired, while I was gone, to kill the bridge-builder, Tazuna. He took only Haku with him, but he failed, and died. I returned, and saw their graves."

The clearing again sat in silence, waiting for the girl to continue. A breeze blew across the clearing, sending leaves and dust scattering. "I saw their graves, and became ultimately depressed. I went back to the village, seeking news of what had happened. But, when I was recognized, the villagers rejected me. They mocked me, teased me, and shunned what I had become. I was thought to be dead, but I had gone to the village's traitor, instead. Even though I was the last member of one of the villages' greatest clan, they drove me out. I left willingly, for I refused to fight my once home. I thought it was all of them that had died, Zabuza, Haku, Kinahaku, so many others. So I went back to the graves, one last time. After that last visit, I planned to kill myself." (emo much?)

Ayumi paused for a minute. Naruto had stopped glaring long ago, and was now standing patiently while the girl recalled her past. Kakashi and Tsunade were standing still, wanting to hear the story. Sakura's mind was reeling with all this new information. Sasuke was glaring at her, but Ayumi either didn't notice or didn't care. "What makes you so strong?" he called out, still slumped on his teachers' back. "What was your families' bloodline limit, that you could make a person like this?" He tried to stand, but fell to his knees.

The girl blinked slowly, and raised unfocused green eyes toward him. "My family...is gone. It is no longer the families' limit, but mine. Mine alone. They are gone, and I am the last."

"The Edochi bloodline limit is much like Haku's manipulation of water." Kakashi offered. (Because Kakashi knows everything!) "But, there are two major differences. Haku needed hand signs and official jutsus to control the water, but the Edochi clan didn't. And, while Haku could control water...the Edochis were the clan that manipulated blood." Naruto and Sakura gasped, but Sasuke just frowned. Tsunade spoke up next. "Usually, the clan would injure themselves, and use their own blood to attack, but they could control any. However, it is much harder to attack with blood that is unseen. What kind of training did Zabuza put you through to let you kill with such ease?"

Ayumi laughed coldly at that statement. "You think it is easy, what I do? It isn't. But luckily for me, the human body is weak. It is so dependant on the blood; it's really child's play to kill someone. Just send more blood to the brain than it can handle, or snap a few veins and arteries, maybe even freeze over the heart, and the person will die in seconds." (NOT a Mary-Sue!)

Naruto gulped at how calmly and emotionless she was as she explained everything. "Yes, sometimes it is quite easy. But most of the time, it takes immense focus, and great precision. I know the layout of the human body well, possibly even better than you, Tsunade." "Earlier, when I threw that shuriken at you, you said 'I could have sworn she told me you had better aim'. Who told you that?" "Kinahaku, of course. She taught me most of what I know. Kina was like an older sister, someone that actually cared for me. She made me smart; Zabuza made me strong and fearless. The sessions with him were brutal, but Kinahaku would always be there to comfort me, and heal any wounds I had. She taught me so much..."

Another silence fell as the girl quieted. "But, I digress. Back to the story." Her usually smooth voice was void of any feeling, and cold as ice. She was detaching herself from her past, so that she could live in the present. "I went to my masters' grave one last time, after which I was going to kill myself. As I was getting ready to leave, a person snuck up behind me." Ayumi smiled, however small it was. "It was Kinahaku. She was still alive, and as soon as I realized it was really her, I was overjoyed. I asked her what had happened, and she told me the whole sad tale. Which made me ever the more determined to kill the demon fox."

She turned to Naruto, and green eyes wet with tears narrowed at him. "That was when I started to journey here. It took longer than I expected, months, really, because my old village sent group after group of ninja to stop me. I had to continuously backtrack and swerve to avoid them. But eventually, some of them got smart. I was caught several times by various groups, and I had to kill. I didn't want to murder those from my old home, but they left me no choice. They were stopping my mission, my purpose. I was not about to be stopped, not when I had worked this hard and come this far. So, I arrived at the Leaf Village. I met Naruto early on, and I met his team the next day."

She was talking to the sky now, tears threatening to spill from wide green eyes. It was as if the group was not there, and she was all alone, recalling her entire life. "Well, I immediately disliked them all. But I had to play along. They didn't like me either, I could tell. Kakashi, at least, I knew was suspicious. He followed me, and I told him I was a ninja from Mist. Later on, I regretted telling him, because he told the Hokage, and she remembered who I was. But before that, I fought Uchiha Sasuke." Four pairs of eyes switched to the aforementioned boy, who was simply staring intently at the girl.

"They said he had an unbreakable mask, incredible speed and strength. But I thought he was weak. I got under his skin easily, pushed his temper. He charged me, and I kept dodging. I kept taunting him, about how he was weak, about how the last Uchiha was a disappointment. He got angry. Said things to me, that I didn't know anything about his family, his brother, of what it was like to lose something precious to me. That was his mistake." Her voice cut through the almost-empty clearing like a diamond through paper. "He didn't know. The last Uchiha didn't know about me, or what I had been through. My family, Zabuza; they treated me badly, but I was still tied to them. Bonded inexplicablely. I still mourned their deaths. He lost his family once, all except for a brother. That brother that killed them all. But I lost my family twice. My blood family and the family that took me in. I cared for nobody after I believed them dead. But, we are even, I suppose. The ones in our family that we were closest to are alive. But then again, we might not be even, because it was the one closest to Sasuke that killed his family. Maybe we're even because I lost twice, and he was betrayed. But that is the past. It matters not anymore. All that matters is the present, and what you do in it to determine your future." (Wow, it's all confuzzling, ain't it?)

She blinked and took a deep breath in. "'The present is all that matters'. Kina taught me that. After I knocked Sasuke out, she found me. Tried to persuade me to come back. Said that nobody blamed me for what had happened, or for what I had done. I threatened her, and she gave in easily. When I was suspicious, she told me something. From that comment, I discovered that she was pregnant. When I told her what was going on, she persisted that I try to come back. I adamantly refused, and I told her to let me choose my own path for once. I had had very little control over my life before this time. She finally left, called me 'little sister'. Do you know how long I wanted to hear that from her? She was the closest thing I've ever had to someone that actually cared for me. But, before she left, I promised to fulfill my purpose and then return to her. Kina and her husband, who had been another servant of Zabuzas. She had liked him for quite some time, actually, but he was too dense to realize it. But when he died, they stuck together to try and survive. I guess that is when he realized how they both felt."

Ayumi turned misted eyes back to Naruto. "After that, I went to the Hokage. I wanted to see if she would recognize me. She didn't, at first. Eventually, she did remember, or else they wouldn't all be here, now would they?" She turned to the group. "Now you know. About me. About my life, my past. And you already knew my present. Now, I am telling you this: Interfere with my purpose, and I will not hesitate to kill you. I have not come this far to be stopped, right before I succeed." Her eyes, that were seconds before filled with tears, cleared suddenly. "Now, prepare yourself, Naruto Uzumaki. For now is the time your story ends." (Whee! FFX reference right there!)

Ayumi pulled a kunai out of her sleeve, and Naruto quickly jumped back. She tucked the fan in her left sleeve, and brought the sleeve of her right arm up. "This is the brand of my family." She bared her tanned arm to reveal the kanji of 'Edochi' on her forearm. "It was given to me when I was two. When my family first discovered that I carried the trait. I've carried this burden ever since. That mark is permanent. No matter how many times that skin is cut, burned, or injured in any way, it will heal perfectly. The mark will still be there. It is a constant reminder of who I am, and what I don't have. What there are no more of." She raised the kunai in her left hand, and brought is slashing down on her forearm. Right on the mark. (...I told you she was emo)

The girl didn't even flinch as her blood splattered on the ground. She grimaced, however, as a soft white light issued from her arm, and she snarled as she showed off a perfectly fine patch of skin. The mark was still there, jet-black and clean, as if it was new, and had never been touched. "You see!?" she screamed. "Forever I will live with this! This is a curse. I am branded. My destiny was decided years ago. It was fated that we would all be here, now, as I fulfill my purpose." (Hm. She and Neji might get along well if she survives)

She turned on Naruto, running, and threw the bloodied kunai at him. The blonde ducked, narrowly missing the object. He jumped to the side as she aimed a punch at his stomach. She growled and turned to him, whipping out a wire. Naruto jumped back a few paces and stared Ayumi down. She ran at him again, invisible wire gone unnoticed by him. It, however, was noticed by a certain Uchiha. "Naruto, watch her hands! She's got a wire!" the boy called out to his teammate. Naruto turned his attention to her hands, and noticed the glint from the weapon in the sun.

Ayumi smirked and quickly pulled out another kunai with her free hand. While he was distracted with the weapon in her left hand, she jabbed out with the knife. Unfortunately, the blonde saw the kunai coming and moved to the left at the very last second. (His left, her right) Ayumi locked one eye on him, and turned the knife out, slashing empty air where Naruto had been standing milliseconds before.

She frowned, and looked up in the trees for him. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, dear Naruto." She said it in a sing-song voice, but her tone was cold and hard as ice. The blonde boy stared thoughtfully from his hiding spot in the bushes. This girl wanted him dead. She was strong enough to kill him, too. That didn't work out well for Naruto. But if that was the case...why hadn't she killed him yet? Ayumi had more than proven that she was capable of killing in an instant, much less regretting it or hesitating before killing. That's when it hit Naruto: Ayumi was toying with him. The girl was drawing the fight out. But why?

"Na-a-a-ru-to? Where are you? Come out and play. Come out, so I can kill you. Come out, so I can avenge my clan, my master. Come. Out. Now. So I can fulfill my purpose in life, my destiny. Come." It was another summons, one that once again froze Naruto in place, and sent shivers down his spine. One summon he had no intention of answering.

"Come on, Naruto. I promise it will be quick. Earlier I thought of dragging it out, of making you suffer like I have these past twelve years. But I changed my mind. You've suffered, too. Not any more than me, but still; you've suffered, like me. So few can comprehend our pain, Naruto. Wouldn't it be nice for that pain to end? To never suffer again." Her tone was changing again. It was morphing, from steely cold to soft, cool, inviting. "To never have the villagers mock you again. Never, if you come, will you feel pain or suffering. I can release you. Disconnect you from the ones that don't understand."

Tsunade growled at her words. "Damn her to hell! What does she think she's doing? Kakashi, we have to—" "Hokage, if we make a move to do anything, she'll kill us. If we wait, and if Naruto doesn't give in to her falsities, we might have a chance of getting everyone out of here alive." She growled in answer, frustrated. "Damn it. You're right. She could kill us in an instant. Even if we surprise her, we'd have to kill her before she knew what was going on." "That's right, Hokage. She's unstable right now. Obsessed with pointless revenge. If provoked wrongly, she could go crazy and murder us all. We have to stay here, and not do anything. If we attack, and she has even a millisecond of knowing, we'd be dead." The old woman had her fists clenched. "I get it already! Don't attack, just leave her alone. Doesn't mean I have to be happy with it."

Sasuke had his eyes Sharinganed, watching the girl carefully. He knew Naruto was hiding in the bushes and not in the tree tops where that girl was looking. If something didn't happen soon, they'd all be doomed. There had to be some way to distract her, so somebody could get help. Attacking was not an option; she'd kill them in less than a second. Because, although he hated to admit it, she was right about one thing: the human body was very dependant on blood. And with her being a manipulator of blood, it seemed impossible to win. One little thing wrong in the blood, and a person would die quickly. Sasuke's head pounded with the thinking. So much was against their survival in this situation. Why did she have to be so strong? How did she know about Itachi? Why did everything revolve around blood? Whose blood you had, the blood spilled everyday without remorse, those damn blood-red eyes...Sasuke's head pounded. (Agh! drowns in Sasuke's emoness)

Naruto had heard the older ninja talking, and he grudgingly admitted they were right. If anything happened to make Ayumi more unstable than she already was, they were all in trouble. But the girl was still crooning to him, in that sweet, calm voice. The worst part, Naruto thought as his stomach clenched at the realization, was that a lot of what she was saying was true. "Naruto...come out of hiding. You are Naruto Uzumaki! Self-proclaimed next Hokage! But you'll never be Hokage if you hide." It was true. A Hokage didn't hide when there was danger, they protected their loved ones. "Oh, Naruto, come on. You're only making this harder on yourself by drawing it out. Everybody's waiting for you. I'm waiting on you, Naruto. It's not proper to keep a lady waiting, now is it?"

Ayumi drew out another kunai, and pulled up her sleeve again. This time, she held her palm open as she brought the knife over it. Thick red liquid dripped from her upward facing hand. Ayumi began to laugh. It was the same cold, joyless sound she had made earlier, when fighting Sasuke. The Uchiha shivered at hearing the sound again. Naruto stiffened at the noise. It just wasn't natural, that sound. It was like the pained shadow of an echo of a mirthless laugh. There was no happiness or warmth or humor in it, just cold. Naruto itched to get this over with so he would never hear that inhuman sound again. The only thing left to wonder was...how? Ayumi could control blood. Her own, anybody else's. It seemed nearly impossible to get near her. If she noticed anybody about to attack, she would kill them.

The girl's green eyes sparkled with childish delight as she moved the dripping blood from her self-inflicted wound. Her right hand was dropping the liquid every few seconds, and she moved it back and forth, creating a small puddle of blood following her movements, back and forth. She giggled as she brought the redness over her head. The group almost threw up in revulsion as she used her left hand to take the blood and shove it back into her palm. She grit her teeth, but smiled insanely as the last bit of blood reentered her system. (I warned you about this, don't forget that!)

"Naruto...come out here, dear Kyuubi container. Come to me, and let me release you. From failure, pain, suffering, disappointment. Let me be your freedom, and you will bring mine... Help me, Naruto Uzumaki. Isn't that the Hokage's duty? Help me, Naruto, and I can help you..." She was smiling demonically, and clenched her fist as a drop fell out. She focused on that droplet of blood, and it stopped, floating in midair. Ayumi looked up, straight ahead, the spot following. She drew her lips into a thin line, and the drop formed a stake. It froze in the blink of a green eye, and Ayumi looked sharply to the left. The blood shot in her gaze, right into the bush Naruto was hiding in. A twisted smirk surfaced on Ayumi's face.

Naruto was thrown out of the bush, pinprick of blood sticking out of his chest, right above his heart. Ayumi pulled out her fan again, and lifted it. The Kyuubi container flew up in the air. "I also considered killing you with your own blood, but decided against that also." The group tensed, all except for the girl. "I declined that notion because I thought it would only be appropriate to kill you with the blood of the person that killed you." She laughed at her own twisted logic, and Naruto growled. (yeah, she's pretty much lost it.)

"What the hell is your problem!? You keep talking about revenge, and how you're gonna kill me, but so far all I've seen is you being a crazy person! Are you even trying?" She moved the fan to point to the left, which pulled Naruto closer to her. "Naruto, as a ninja, even as dense as you are, you should know better than to invite death into your home. Because if you invite it in, there is no stopping it. Are you really that eager to die?" Naruto's eyes widened. "I thought not. I'm giving you a chance to defend yourself, idiot. I suggest you take it before I lose my patience."

"If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done something by now! What are you, a coward!?" She was still glaring at him. "Never!" She pushed him against a tree. "Never!" She slammed his body against the rough wood. "Ever!" He twitched as she forced him against the tree again. "Ever!" A trickle of blood escaped from Naruto's mouth. "Call me a coward!" Once more she threw him against the tree, this time leaving a huge dent from the force of the blow. "You know nothing, Naruto. You are a fool. And I will kill you this day." She used the fan to pick him up again. His entire body was twitching, and several places on his clothes were stained red from where his skin had been cut by being slammed into a tree.

"No, you won't." She glared icily at him. "What did you just say?" "I said that no, you won't kill me this day." "And why ever not? Right now I have the perfect opportunity, and you know it. At any second, I can end your life." "No." He was panting. Naruto's head hurt, she might have given him some kind of bruise during the throwing. "No, you won't. If it was really your intention to kill me today, you would have done it already. You keep talking about what you're going to do, but you don't back it up. For some reason, I don't really care why, you refuse to kill me. After all, you've had the ability to all this time, but you've done nothing." "Naruto, I'm simply drawing out the fun. You know that any second, I could stop playing with you and end your life. I greatly enjoy that kind of torture. You are scared of me, of what I can do. That is why you hide. Because if you weren't afraid, you wouldn't hide from me. You would openly challenge me, not mock me as I hold you on death's edge."

"But, that's just it. I'm not on death's edge." "Foolish child. That's exactly where you are." "No, I'm not." "Okay, you're not." Ayumi put the fan down, and Naruto's feet hit the ground. "She is." Ayumi turned the fan on Sakura, lifting the kunoichi into the air. Her green eyes widened in fear as she tried to move. "Maybe killing this thing first will convince you of the severity of your situation."

ALRIGHT! Sakura death! Next chapter is more lame fighting, the Kyuubi appears, and Ayumi reveals a secret! O.O (possible spoiler, but a lot of people agree with this theory)

Also, two people have update alerts on this fic, and one of them (both maybe) never leaves a review! I mean, it's nice, having the alerts, but could you say something, please? And don't expect the next chapter up for a while. All these were written before I put the fic up, and the next chapter isn't even started yet. Maybe all your coughlovelycough reviews will inspire me? (that's a hint, people!)


	8. More Surprsies and the Final Blow!

**WARNING!!!!:** More blood, violence, and a SPOILAH! Character death. Uh, angst? Maybe. **Disclaimer**: I've said it before: go to Chapter 1 for the f'in disclaimer!

note: gomen infinetly for the late update. bows repeatedly the epilogue is written. review now.

**Chapter 8: More Surprises!?**

"Yes, Naruto. I can see your anger. I can see right through you." Ayumi said manically, waving Sakura around like a rag doll. The kunoichi was completely under the older girl's control, green eyes wide in fright and breath coming in hitched pants. Naruto had his hands clenched at his side, so much so that even more blood leaked from the tight fists, adding to the injuries from being slammed into a tree. Kakashi and Tsunade were both tense, staring at the scene in anger. Sasuke's head still hurt, he hadn't fully recovered from his earlier fight.

Ayumi let out an evil cackle as Sakura hovered above the clearing. "Oh, come now, dear Kyuubi container. I've put one of your friend's life on the line, and you're just standing there looking like an angry idiot." "Put her down." Naruto commanded in a quiet voice. Bright green flashed in excitement. "Make me."

All the audience could do was watch as Naruto growled and made a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two more Narutos appeared, and all three charged the last Edochi. The older girl just smirked crazily and used her left hand to raise the splattered blood on the ground into three spikes. Several cries of 'Naruto!' were heard from the spectators as the two sides met, and a second later three puffs of smoke could be seen.

Ayumi growled as the two outside clones disappeared and a log fell where the third one had been. "Damn clones" she muttered to herself. Her eyes scanned the area carefully. _I almost missed him last time. But not now. I refuse to fail after coming so close, after working this hard!_ Suddenly she turned to the left, turning her back on Kakashi, Tsunade, Sasuke and Sakura. There stood two Narutos, one focusing an immense amount of chakra in his right palm while the other was hitting in, forming it into a perfect sphere.

_What!? I thought that was only a rumor!?_ ran through Ayumi's mind as the Naruto on the left disappeared in a puff and the Naruto on the right ran toward her. She stood, snarling, until Naruto was about three feet away. Then she brought her right hand, which held her fan, up, forward, and down again before Naruto's attack could land.

(Now, if you've been paying attention, dears, you know what happened. If not, I shall explain, the gracious authoress I am.)

Ayumi smirked as the body between her and Rasengan fell limp and blue eyes widened in shock, sorrow, fear, and anger. Naruto growled dangerously low as his gaze switched from Sakura's expressionless face to Ayumi's sparkling eyes. "Well, thank you, Naruto! She was a troublesome girl. And that was more entertaining than killing her myself would have been!"

A group of gasps and growls could be heard from the onlookers as Ayumi snapped her fan shut and Sakura's body slumped to the ground, Naruto's gaze following it. "Now," the girl said slowly, "where were we?" Naruto growled as blue eyes narrowed and bled into red. "That's it." Ayumi hissed to herself as the shinobi in front of her transformed into his demon-like self.

The whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks darkened and grew, his teeth became sharper, and of course his eyes were as red as the Sharingan, if not more so. "Kyuubi has come out to play. Finally." "You killed Sakura!" The figure before her declared in a menacing, deep growl. "Technically, you killed her. I just put her in your way of killing me." Ayumi pointed out casually. "You'll pay for that!"

And before a cynical retort could be made, Naruto had disappeared in a flash of red chakra and punched at his enemy from her left, making the girl fly to the side a good few feet, fan dropped and forgotten. As the girl got up on stumbling feet, she chuckled darkly. "Finally... the time has come!" Green eyes flashed in anticipation for the upcoming battle. "Kyuubi, now's your day to pay for what you've done to me."

The girl put both hands in her sleeves, bringing out eight shuriken between her fingers, and six kunai on the digits themselves. She thrust out her left hand, sending out three knives. Naruto, slowly walking toward her, deflected them with a weapon of his own. Next the stars went flying, this time getting stuck in the bright orange clothes of the Kyuubi container. Naruto paused in his stride for a second, looking down his front at where the annoyances had lodged themselves.

All it took was one flex of the muscles for the shuriken to fall to the ground, completely useless. Ayumi smirked, lazily launching four more throwing stars, which missed their target. Naruto had suddenly vanished. A noise of disbelief was heard from the fighter before her white head was swinging around, looking for any sign of the boy. "Up here!"

Green eyes switched like lightning to stare at a tree branch directly above her, and red eyes filled with hate and anger stared back down. One single knife shot up, and Naruto knocked it away, leaving it to spin in midair. A hand shot out and grabbed it, the point faced downward. Naruto's grip tightened on the weapon, and a trail of blood ran down the edge, finally forming a droplet at the tip.

As it fell, Ayumi concentrated on that one spot, on this one moment. She felt the universe slow, all for one drop of blood. She sensed her own heartbeat and every other in the area speed up with adrenaline, all in preparation for this single conflict. And right before that single drop touched her very skin, she stopped it. Just a simple droplet, and the heavy, strong, torturous silence amplified between the fighters.

Fingers loosened, and more drops slowly detached from the kunai as it fell through the air, spinning like a windmill. Ayumi froze the drop above her, and gathered the others that were free-falling, bringing them down to protect her head as the kunai bounced off the makeshift shield and into a waiting hand. Red eyes never left their target as Naruto jumped down from the tree, following after his offering.

The last Edochi jumped back as Naruto left his perch, landing roughly where she had been standing seconds before. "Now is the time!" "You will pay!" were the simultaneous cries.

Ayumi switched to hold a kunai in her left hand and two in her right as she and Naruto charged. The blond took the weapon in his right hand and transferred it to his left, opting to make a Rasengan in his right. But right before he could hit her, Ayumi vanished without a trace. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he searched for any clue of the location of his opponent.

"Behind you" was whispered in Naruto's ear, and he turned sharply to find himself face to face with a bright-eyed nightmare. He thrust the attack forward, only to hit thin air as she disappeared again. An audible growl was heard. "What's wrong, Ayumi!? Are you afraid!? Well, you should be! I'm going to kill you for what you've done!" A small laugh could be heard. "Is that so?"

Ayumi appeared a good distance away from Naruto, a superior, smug smirk on her face. "The Fourth Hokage's... _Legacy_ is going to kill me?" she said, placing special emphasis on the word 'legacy'. "That's right! I will kill you!" Naruto said before running once again toward Ayumi. "Well, I guess nobody's told you, then." she said teasingly before jumping backwards to stand on a branch. "What are you rambling about?"

Rasengan crashed into the trunk of the tree as Ayumi fell down and to Naruto's right, wood splinters flying against the fighter's skin, scratching and cutting. When they both landed, several cuts decorated their faces. "I mean, they never told you who you are, did they?" "I am Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" "But that's not all, didn't you know?"

Tsunade clenched her fists tighter, a vein throbbing in her forehead. "Damn her..." "Tsunade-sama, she couldn't possibly know that..." There was a hint of panic in Kakashi's voice. "It would seem she does, Kakashi." "Kakashi..." Sasuke faintly mumbled. "Sasuke, this isn't the time!" Onyx eyes focused on Naruto. "What is going on here!?" The jounin sighed and went back to glaring at Ayumi. "I'm afraid you're about to find out." The man's grave tone made Sasuke nervous.

"So, Naruto, do you want me to tell you? Who you really are? Who the Fourth really, truly was?" Ayumi asked, staring at the blond seriously. "The Fourth was the hero of the Hidden Leaf Village! And I'm going to be even greater! But first, I have to beat you!" Naruto yelled, glaring at his opponent.

"So, you really don't know who the child of the Fourth Hokage was, do you, Naruto?" At his hesitation, she continued. "That means you must not know what he really thought of you, Kyuubi container." "What are you talking about?" Naruto questioned cautiously. An amused laugh escaped the girl, much as she tried to cover it. "Wow, no wonder you're miserable."

"Tell me what you're saying, already!" Naruto demanded, one fist clenched. Ayumi only smirked insanely. When nothing had changed on Naruto's face, she sighed. "Idiot! You are the son of the Fourth Hokage!"

Red eyes widened at her exclamation and it's implications. "Wh-what?" Ayumi was still smirking triumphantly, eyes glittering in the sunlight. "That's right. You are the son of the Fourth Hokage!" "That _can't_ be!" "But it is, Na-ru-to, dear. Poor boy," an expression of sorrow washed over Ayumi, "not even knowing who your parents were, or what they did. Do you even know about the decree the Fourth released about you before he died?"

Naruto growled. "All I know is that nobody was allowed to talk about it." Ayumi sighed, shaking her head. "This village is worse for secrets than I thought!" She stared at Naruto, half pitying him and half smirking. "There was another decree, one that the village never heeded. It would have made your life so much easier..." She trailed off teasingly. "What was it?"

"Before the Fourth Hokage died by sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside you, Naruto, he declared that you were to be treated like a hero." She began sweetly. "It was only because of you that the village could be saved. You were never supposed to be treated like trash, but respected as a savior." Ayumi ended spitefully.

Naruto froze, staring at the girl in front of him with disbelief written all over his face. No way she could be telling the truth, right!? He slowly turned to the left, and upon seeing Tsunade glaring at the ground and Kakashi staring wide-eyed at him, Naruto's stomach dropped in dread. Still staring at Tsunade, he said quietly "So it's true? The Fourth was really...my father?"

The Hokage let out a growl, clenching both her eyes and fists. "Yes, Naruto, he was." Naruto blinked, eyes still blood-red and wide open. _No way... _"So! Naruto-kun!" The blond shifted his vision to watch Ayumi, who was smiling slightly, eyes closed and head tilted. "Aren't you going to kill me?" She lifted one eye, the innocent-looking bright green focused on her target.

Remembering Sakura, Naruto recovered from his shock, narrowing his gaze on the white-haired girl and growling. "Ah, now that's what I'm waiting for, Naruto." She said pleasantly, still smiling.

Naruto began oozing red chakra, creating a visible aura the color of blood. Ayumi's smile gradually faded as he grew more and more angry and powerful, a look of absolute seriousness overshadowing it. He made eye contact and the combatants held it for barely a second before Naruto had disappeared.

On the defensive, but too slow to block it, Ayumi brought up her arm, blood levitating near her. Before she could make a shield, Naruto had come in from her left, delivering a powerful punch that sent the girl flying to the side. Ayumi gasped and held her jaw, which was broken and bleeding.

Standing up, she locked eyes with Naruto, blood coming from her mouth in three lines. Ayumi was again smiling like a maniac. "Now…" she spit, and a thick glob of dark blood landed in her open palm. "It begins."

Naruto ran forward as Ayumi began to levitate the glob. He got closer, it started changing shape. He brought out a kunai and held it at the ready, the once sphere began to form a sharp projection. Naruto brought the weapon back and forward, and she lunged forward, the point aimed at his neck.

Green eyes narrowed. Red eyes widened.

Ayumi growled and hissed as Naruto tried to bring back the kunai impaled in her empty palm. Naruto screamed as Ayumi wrenched out the blood-knife that had missed and gone into his shoulder. They both jumped back, watching, panting, and wincing in pain.

A breeze blew through the clearing, throwing white and yellow hair into blue and green eyes. When they blinked, the still figure had disappeared. Before they could gasp in surprise or react, a fist was rammed into a jaw, sending the body flying like a rag doll back. It hit a tree, a crash echoing and rings from the contact cratering the plant. A silent glare was sent toward the body as it slumped down, more blood seeping through the clothes and streaking on the wood.

"It's over…" came the growled call. Blood dripped from a fist onto the ground, and the figure relaxed, taking a deep breath. Eyes slid to the dead body of the pink-haired kuniochi, and saddened. "Sakura…" Tears slid silently down whiskered cheeks.

Tsunade ran past Naruto, casting one hazel, critical eye back to make sure he was safe. Naruto said nothing, only looked at the scene blankly. The Gondaime lifted the girls head up and leaned it forward, grimacing. Without a word, she laid Ayumi back, the lifeless body limply resting against the tree, green eyes rolled back into her head, blood covering most of her visible body and clothes.

Kakashi walked forward, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, startling the younger. "It's over, Naruto." His grave face misguided his comforting words and made Naruto only more saddened. Tsunade sighed as she walked over. "Well, she's dead. Crashing into that tree shattered her spine and part of the skull; that sent shards of bone into her brain and lungs. There's no way she would have survived long, anyways."

"So…she died instantly?" Naruto asked blandly. "Yep. I think she should have suffered a little, but…" A stoic glance darted down for a second. "Her past…she suffered. And it's over."

Blue eyes traveled once again to the red-dressed corpse. "In more ways than one." Naruto gravely stated.


	9. Epilogue

It was raining again as the crowd, dressed in black, approached the black altar one by one and placed red, white, and pink roses on the coffin. The fine wooden box repelled the water, and a pair of blue eyes watched as a drop slowly slid to the side and over the edge, falling to mingle with the other countless drips of water that were being poured from the sky. He stepped forward as Kiba turned to return to his row and set a white rose on the pile that had speedily enough grown with the somehow unworthy plant offerings. Naruto turned around and came face to face with Sasuke. Those black eyes of the Uchiha glimmered in unusual sadness as he took a step and placed a pink rose near Naruro's white. Together they walked back to stand next to each other as the line proceeded.

Tears fell in silence as the shinobi funereal continued. A few pictures of the deceased kunoichi, smiling, posing, even one serious photo taken before the Chunin exams, were placed in a semi-circle on the glossy black wooden box. One was the team photo, with Sakura smiling in the middle, Naruto and Sasuke on her sides, Kakashi overseeing them all from behind. The two younger ninja met it at the same time and saddened even more.

Sakura was dead. Lost forever. Another dream had been extinguished.

Kakashi watched the procceding blankly, grateful that his face mask hid his emotions. His silver hair was matted in the rain and the water was seeping through his light clothes and sending a deep chill to his core. But he moved forward as the line did. For a second he saw Sasuke and Naruto walk back to stand together. Maybe they'd learn from this unfortunate experience. Dreams don't come without a price. The copy nin stepped forward once and looked carefully at the scattered pictures and roses. As he noticed the team photo, a cringe of regret shot through his mind. He hadn't appreciated her abilities enough, hadn't acknowledged her efforts to become better. And now it was too late.

He placed a red rose on the top of the pile, near the pink and white ones he knew Sasuke and Naruto had laid. Stepping around and walking slowly back to his place in the lineup, Kakashi noticed Tsunade and Shizune standing quietly in line, each holding a pink rose. A closer look at the Hokage gave away her tears, falling freely and mixing with the rain as soon as possible. Shizune had her head down, but a slight shaking of the shoulders gave away her silent sobs.

_(Meanwhile...)_

A light drizzle began in the small clearing as a lone girl with light blonde hair stood quietly, one hand on her stomach, the other wiping tears from her eyes. A small stone tablet rested against a tree as the downpour increased. Yudina looked up, eyes vacant in thought. "I suppose it's fair. Those who chase their dreams have an 80 percent chance of dying. That kunoichi, Ayumi, Zabuza, Haku...and here I am." She clenched a fist on her midsection, eyes closing. "We're all that's left of their dreams, my child. You, me, and your father. It's up to us to not forget them."

She stood there a while longer, once opening her eyes and staring at the tombstone in front of her. Just a small thing. It would probably deteriorate within a few months, or be destroyed or taken in some way sooner. Yudina blinked slowly, face radiating sadness as she once again took in the hand-carved marking:

Ayumi Edochi: A kunoichi who sacrificed everything for her dream.

Yudina turned around and began walking away. Sorrow still hung around her as the funereal ended and she headed back home. "It is also sad, oneechan, that your dream was not fulfilled."


End file.
